236. Imprisoned in China: The Hainan Island Incident with Shane Osborn episode artwork

EPISODE · Feb 23, 2026 · 45 MIN

236. Imprisoned in China: The Hainan Island Incident with Shane Osborn

from SPYCRAFT 101 · host Justin Black

This week Justin sits down with Shane Osborn. Shane is a veteran of the US Navy and a graduate of the University of Nebraska Lincoln. From 2007 until 2011, he served as the treasurer for the State of Nebraska. He's also the founder of the Nebraska Soldiers Foundation, which helps soldiers and their families cope with post-traumatic stress disorder. In early 2001, Shane was serving as a pilot with Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron one based in Okinawa on April 1st of that year while flying a mission over the Pacific Ocean. His EP3E Orion was involved in a mid-air collision with a Chinese fighter jet. Shane was forced to land his badly damaged aircraft on a Chinese island where he and his crew were detained and interrogated for 11 days in an event that made headlines worldwide as The Hainan Island incident. He's here today discuss his career in Navy aviation, the near fatal collision over the Pacific, and his time in the custody of the Chinese government, which he wrote about in his book. Connect with Shane: Check out the book, Born to Fly, here. https://a.co/d/0bld5G8Z Shane is currently supporting African Educational Support here: https://www.africaneducationalsupportinc.org/ Connect with Spycraft 101: Get Justin's latest book, Murder, Intrigue, and Conspiracy: Stories from the Cold War and Beyond, here. spycraft101.com IG: @spycraft101 Shop: shop.spycraft101.com Patreon: Spycraft 101 Find Justin's first book, Spyshots: Volume One, here. Check out Justin's second book, Covert Arms, here. Download the free eBook, The Clandestine Operative's Sidearm of Choice, here. Kruschiki The best surplus military goods delivered right to your door. Use code SPYCRAFT101 for 10% off! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Feb 23, 2026

Embed this episode

Former pilot Shane Osborn shares his first-hand account of the Hainan Island Incident and the time he spent in Chinese custody after a mid-air collision.

Distinct summary based on available episode metadata or transcript content.

NOW PLAYING

236. Imprisoned in China: The Hainan Island Incident with Shane Osborn

0:00 45:44

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

No similar episodes found.

No similar podcasts found.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of SPYCRAFT 101?

This episode is 45 minutes long.

When was this SPYCRAFT 101 episode published?

This episode was published on February 23, 2026.

Can I download this SPYCRAFT 101 episode?

Yes. Use the download control on the episode player to save the publisher-provided media file.
URL copied to clipboard!